A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Thanks to concerted efforts to raise awareness and understanding about eating disorders by special interest groups and medical practitioners around the country and across the planet, issues such as anorexia and bulimia are fairly well-known disorders whose grave effects on both emotional and physical health are widely acknowledged. Impacting the lives of scores of young women and other demographic groups with high instances of the disorders, anorexia and bulimia are generally looked upon as extremely debilitating and harmful. But there are some whose perspectives are in stark contrast to the norm; a growing community of “pro-ana” and “pro-bulimia” groups want professionals and the international community at large to regard the disorders as “lifestyle choices,” and are challenging the goals of mental health professionals who aim to improve the lives of the afflicted.

Websites championing anorexia and bulimia as “beautiful” and positive conditions have been gaining momentum over the past few years, primarily in the west but also as distant and seemingly unlikely as Malta, as a national news outlet reports. Such sites are dedicated to providing emotional and social havens for those with eating disorders, encouraging them to become as thin as possible through a variety of means. Some sites reportedly hold contests between members to see who can lose the most weight fastest; others offer “meal plans” containing dangerously low calories and nutrients. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Los Angeles Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update Presented by Jolyn Wells-Moran, PhD, MSW

Teenagers who are overweight, or believe they are, appear to be at higher risk of suicide, according to a new study published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health. This was found to be the same for girls and boys.

While the research results certainly can’t be said to be reliably predictive of any one teenager’s suicide risk, the study does help to support the view that teenagers with real or perceived weight problems should be particularly assessed for depression and suicidal thoughts – and that all teens should ideally be screened. Teenagers with depression and/or suicidal thoughts should then be referred for psychotherapy geared to these issues, and medically evaluated for possibly discernible physiological causes and treatments. The study included 14,000 US high school students, their body mass indexes (BMI) and beliefs concerning whether of not they are overweight, along with the rate of suicide attempts within the group. The analyses controlled for demographics and possible confounding variables.

Monica Swahn, an associate dean for research at the College of Health and Human Sciences and an associate professor in the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University was the lead researcher. “We cannot only focus prevention strategies on those who are overweight and who are concerned about their weight, but we also need to include youth who feel that they are overweight even though they may not be,” Swahn said in a news release. Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

In the eyes of many people, the days spent in college are decidedly iconic; from carefree parties and trips to enlightening conversations and the opening up of new doors of experience and knowledge, the college years are often considered some of the best that modern life has to offer. Yet for a growing number of American college students, the period is marked with extreme stress, depression, and emotional difficulty. While some aspects of college life may contribute to negative emotions and experiences, recent accelerations of competition within schools and the extremely difficult job market, along with general financial woes, may be increasing the number of students whose occasional upsets are becoming fully-fledged and debilitating issues.

A poll conducted by the Associated Press in collaboration with MTV was recently administered to students at forty US colleges, asking participants to describe their thoughts and feelings on a range of topics, and to answer basic batteries of questions regarding their mental and emotional well-being. The results are significant; forty-two percent of participants reported feeling depressed, hopeless, or “down” several times within the two weeks prior to responding, and thirteen percent were shown to be at risk for some form of clinical depression. An alarming eleven percent of students reported having thoughts about self-harming or the idea that they’d be “better off dead.” Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Albany Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Mary Ellen Barnes, Ph.D. & Ed Wilson, Ph.D., MAC

Click here to contact Mary Ellen and/or see her Profile
Click here to contact Ed and/or see his Profile

Last month we wrote about the first two of the “6 Secrets Ex-Drinkers Know That You Don’t, And 12 Step Programs Don’t Want You To Find Out.” We started with the notation that AA/12-Step based programs, 98% of US treatment programs, are based on premises that both research and experience indicate are not only unfounded, but actually prevent you from getting over your problems and leave you with less than a 5% chance of recovery over five years.

Here are Myths 3 and 4:

Myth #3 - An Addict Must Hit Bottom

“Hitting Bottom” is a very destructive myth. Why would you wait until after you’ve lost you’ve everything to seek help? At that point, why would you bother to sober up?

Suppose for a moment that alcohol abuse actually were a disease. Then we’d be interested in prevention, then regular checkups, then early detection, then. Wait a minute…early detection? What happened to “hitting bottom?”

That’s the problem. With actual illnesses, we don’t wait until the patient is nearly dead before beginning treatment. Treatment is begun, good follow-up maintains progress, and changes in the patient’s life are instituted that will sustain the recovery. That’s an effective model.

It shouldn’t be surprising that this same process works well for diverting a client from alcohol abuse and dependence. The trouble is people have been discouraged - by mythology, stigma, and “lifelong recovery” - from getting help in the early stages when complete remission is not possible, likely, and relatively straightforward,.

How did that happen? Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

In the clutches of international financial difficulties and an economy that is proving to be difficult to manage at all levels, may states are grappling with tough decisions in terms of putting together a sound, reasonable, and acceptable budget. California is a prime example; with a massive debt and levels of unemployment hitting record highs, the state is looking at a series of difficult choices in deciding which services are most critical, and mental health is not exempt. Recently, state government proposed several measures aimed at allowing the Governor to achieve a balanced budget, one of which threatened to create significant problems for state mental health professionals, their clients, and California’s children in need of therapy.

The proposition, which was resoundingly voted down on Tuesday, would have amended the Mental Health Services Act, passed in 2004 and credited with making great strides for needy children and state psychotherapy programs at large. If the proposition had passed, approximately two hundred thirty million dollars per year, for a period of two years, would have been kept from the state’s mental health industry and related social programs, going instead towards facilitating a more attractive budget. The proposition would have had the greatest effect on programs for children and young adults. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Santa Rosa Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Aversion therapies can be successful in helping people with addictions, who also wish to free themselves from the related behaviors, overcome their difficulties. Such therapies are commonly administered after a more psychodynamic approach is taken; the exploration of the causes of the addiction itself and its role within a person’s life is often able to facilitate positive change, but is sometimes ceased in favor of the more invasive and direct approach of aversion. Such therapy is, for the most part, handled with extreme care and is carried out by seasoned experts, as the potential for psychological harm is a concern.

All the more concerning, then, is the news recently developing in China in regards to a pediatric “internet addiction” clinic which claims to use aversion therapy to help kids kick the online habit. A growing complaint among the country’s parents is the time and energy children spend surfing the web, playing video games, and communicating with friends online, and some parents are apparently desperate for help. The Center for Curing Internet Addiction, located at a hospital in the eastern province of Shangdong, claims to be able to rid children and teens of undesirable internet-related behavior, but its staff as well as its methods are highly suspect. The clinic administers electro-convulsive therapy, or ECT, to children over a course of four and a half months, charging parents extra for early withdrawal from the program. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Chapel Hill Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

The prevalence of post-partum depression, or PPD, may seem out of place in a society that seems to unabashedly celebrate the processes of giving birth and becoming a mother. Yet many women experience PPD, which is widely recognized as having an adverse effect on infants as well as the relationship between a mother and her child. With this potential for long-term consequences in family relations in mind, a team of researchers with the Boston University School of Social Work set out to examine the efficacy and methodological details of modern therapies in the field. The study found that overwhelmingly, the integration of the infants themselves in therapy sessions was hailed as resulting in higher success rates and more deeply reaching change.

The researchers based their work on interviews with a panel of mental health professionals, comprised of an educator, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, all of whom had twenty or more years’ worth of experience working with PPD patients. The interviewees described the ability of integrative therapies to help anchor the client in the present and create avenues of communication and understanding between a mother and her baby. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Tucson Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Sarah Jenkins, MC, LPC

Click here to contact Sarah and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

For as long as I could remember, they were my siblings. Faithful. Loving. Supportive. With me when I played, laughed, and cried, they were beside me all of the time. Showing me unconditional love and compassion, the dogs I cherished were a part of my family, just as I was a part of theirs. I even tried to blame them for things at times. “But, it wasn’t me, Mum, it was the dog.” Of course, that never worked. It still doesn’t.

Now, I am sure that a pet being a “family member” is not an unusual concept for many of you who would read this. In fact, I would imagine that, right now, you could even bring up an image of your first pet, and sense some kind of emotional, physical, or spiritual reaction. And, perhaps like me, you have known the powerful connection between your pet, and the love that they give you in return.

Perhaps you would wonder why I would chose to write about the power of the relationship between dogs and me, or your animals and you. But, I did so, not only because I love my “fur-kids,” but also because many of my clients have pets and consider them to be some of their best supports, their family. And let’s face it, for many, it may be all the family they have.

Maybe they were there when you learned to love, or had to bear the pain of losing it. Perhaps they sat by you as you experienced joy, happiness, and peace. But, no matter what your encounters with your animals, you know that, already, this article connects to your understanding of their love for you.
Read the rest of this entry

By Gary Seeman, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Gary and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Awareness is Ever-Present

To be aware is to witness. And our witnessing selves are always there when we dream, [1] in daily activities, when feeling emotions, and in states of excitement or distress. We are constantly aware, though our focus may be clear or muddled. Without awareness, there is no consciousness. But awareness is hard to see. It is ever-present, like the air we breathe.

Although always present, awareness may not be remembered. For example, we may walk around a table while moving from one room to another. But we let our perception of the table recede from consciousness without storing memories that are easily retrieved. The encoding of memory depends in part on the intensity of experience, whether this intensity is influenced by the strength of a sensory perception or an emotional response.

We are self-aware when we attend to representations of experience - whether drawn from memory or visualizing a possible scenario. In psychotherapy, we train awareness on our lived experience to realize our hopes and goals and live more satisfying lives.

Every form of psychotherapy has methods to enhance awareness. This reflects the central role of improving the quality of awareness in the process of mental healing. Read the rest of this entry

By Anne Ream ATR-BC, LPC

Click here to contact Anne and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

Vulnerability, even thinking about it can be frightening to some people. Actually, a person must be strong to allow herself to be vulnerable. Vulnerability allows others to know us, who we genuinely are. Vulnerability allows negotiation. It allows an opening between conflicting needs.

Unfortunately, many people have been raised from the time they are young to deny their vulnerability. Many were raised by parents who could not be vulnerable. Many parents believe their children’s misbehaviors are directed at them and become angry and defensive in their parenting behaviors. When children are raised by defensive parents, they learn how to be defensive. Adults who are on the defensive cannot allow themselves to be open and vulnerable enough to relate to another adult.

Being vulnerable is being open. To love others, one must be open. When we are open, we allow our hearts to feel. When our heart is open to feeling love, it will also feel pain when love is withdrawn. Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Given the relatively equal proportion of men to women in a given country, and relatively similar stressors, conditions, and experiences, it’s simple to predict that depression and related disorders will be about as prevalent between the sexes. But while the instance of depression may be more or less blind to sex, how people cope with the disorder may be another story. In the UK, a survey has been recently published, covering issues within the scope of depression arising from experiences of the global economic slump, and it appears that while some feelings and ideas may be shared, men and women react in a markedly different manner. Unfortunately, this difference may prove especially detrimental to men’s health; the survey shows that they are far less likely to seek therapy or discuss problems with friends or family than their female counterparts.

The survey, completed by the national charity group Mind, found that in a group of two thousand participating adults, about forty percent of men reported feeling low, and that only twenty nine percent of respondents would consider talking to family or friends about their difficulties. This figure, compared to the fifty three percent of female participants who felt comfortable sharing with loved ones, presents a considerable problem in the ability to deliver quality care to male sufferers. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Sherman Oaks Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

It’s difficult to escape; turn on the radio or the television, peruse a newspaper or listen in on a coffee shop conversation and you’re likely to hear about financial trials and tribulations. A steadily growing concern in the wake of one of the gloomiest economic climates of our time, money is a major cause for stress in any period. Able to wreak havoc on our relationships, and to cause significant setbacks in our understanding of self-worth, money can be a nightmare when we’re going through a difficult financial cycle. Recognizing the urgency of this issue for millions of people across America and throughout the world, not to mention the therapists working to help cushion the blow and create positive change, many psychologists and mental health workers are exploring the relationship between “self worth” and “net worth.”

The somewhat novel idea is that anxieties over money problems are more often linked to the imagination rather than any straightforward interaction with reality. Fears about how bad things could possibly get –including having no way to care for one’s family or oneself– tend to dominate the subconscious during financially straining times. But while we can subject ourselves to fairly harsh treatment in the worry department, the good news is that thinking psychodynamically about these issues, examining past events and ideas that inform current behaviors surrounding money, along with a little fiscal organization can bring a world of relief, even when the money’s tight. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Pasadena Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition fairly well known among mental health professionals and the psychologically-minded public at large. Yet as with so many things, there exist extreme departures from what we’d normally envision of a person afflicted with OCD –and the co-author of a recently released book on the subject is an excellent example. The man, who suffered from the disorder for most of his life, had developed extreme rituals that kept him from leaving his house or carrying out the vast majority of daily tasks; he became unable to bathe himself and spent hours each day carrying out elaborate counting and organizing rituals. That is, until he met the man who would help him triumph over his condition: his psychotherapist.

The two met after the afflicted man’s family called for help, and the psychotherapist, a renowned expert on OCD at the Harvard Medical School, drove three hours to meet and assess the man –and the mind– that would occupy his professional efforts for years to come. That initial meeting was difficult; the young man had developed strict rules for what actions could be taken in his home or around his person, yet psychologist and client were eventually able to find common ground. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Mill Valley Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

It is the cry of many seasoned psychotherapists and potential patients alike that the United States is becoming alarmingly dependent on medication for a wide variety of issues that can be addressed with healthier alternatives. The medical industry in particular is riddled with professionals who seem keen on providing a pill for every complaint, and with patients who simply swallow their worries away. Some may have suspected that certain individuals in the psychiatry business have been promoting and over-prescribing medications for a more pernicious reason than simple difference of opinion. The idea that some medical providers achieve financial gain through their promotion of drugs has been around for a while, but has lacked concrete and widespread evidence. This month, the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics will include a fairly definitive, and fairly shocking, study of this precise issue, revealing how serious the problem really is.

The study was performed by a trio of academics from the University of Massachusetts Boston, Tufts University, and Harvard Medical School, and delivers solid evidence of professionals using their financial ties with pharmaceutical companies to push the industry’s agenda. The study focuses on those panel members of the American Psychological Association who helped to write the guidelines for treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The researchers poured through publicly-accessible information sources to discover financially-based relationships between the panelists and pharmaceutical companies. They found that eighteen of the twenty members had at least one financial link, whether in the form of direct payment for research, speaking fees, special grants, consulting, or stock ownership. Though the APA now requires panelists to publish their financial ties, the rule was not in effect when the guidelines for these three disorders — which bring in over $25 billion per year for pharmaceutical companies — were written and published. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Olympia Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Judith Barr, MA, LMHC

Click here to contact Judith and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

The Story of Sharon

The discussion of corporate power, its misuses and abuses, abound in our world today. The story of John (see GT Blog 5-7-09) took this issue to a deep place: the place where change must occur in order for our world to recover. This place is within each of us. How do we use our personal power? Misuse and abuse of personal power can undermine the potential of any corporation. And right use of power has the ability to transform it.

An interesting perspective on the issue of power … what if we look at the misuse of power manifested in those who don’t use their power? If those who abuse their power obviously are doing so from early wounds . . . then what about those who don’t use their power when it is needed, out of frozenness, their inability, their own childhood wounds. Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Most mental health professionals practicing today are well familiar with people afflicted by an addiction to gambling or risk-taking. One of the most prevalent reported complaints held by those seeking professional help, gambling addiction a fairly serious problem that finds a variety of outlets in modern society, making it quite difficult for some to resist. In the fight to learn as much as possible about this condition, extensive research has been performed in a variety of specific topics, and recently a team from the United Kingdom has approached chronically risky behavior from a genetic standpoint. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Concord Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Carl Jung, one of psychology’s brightest and best known –and certainly influential– figures, has long inspired the establishment of new therapies and ideas within the realm of mental health. From clinically-applicable research and development to significant influence in the healing work of thousands upon thousands of psychotherapists, Jung’s prolific and structured ideas have helped to shape the modern face of psychotherapy. But as many actors are finding out, Jung’s theories about the nature and meaning of human dreaming can transcend the textbook and become a powerful tool for method acting.

Dream work, which is described as a particular offshoot of method acting, has been taking the players of the stage and screen to astonishing depths in terms of discovering their roles, and the trend is rapidly growing. Jungian ideas about the dream as an expression of the unconscious, transmitting figures and symbols to the conscious mind for consideration, have been the subjects of scholarship and in-office treatment for a long time, but are only beginning to inspire a larger creative audience. Utilizing Jung’s theories about the role of dreams, actors seek to gain new insights about their characters while they snooze, stepping into their roles as they drift off in the hope that the unconscious mind will provide new clues about a character’s deepest thoughts and feelings. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Lake Oswego Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

The idea of government regulation of mental health professions, especially where therapy is concerned, has long been an issue of considerable contention for those in the practice. Laws, paperwork, and the stress that can often accompany either are widely variable throughout the country and the world, where in many places the rules have been relatively loose for quite some time. One such place is the Canadian province of Quebec, where regulations have been remarkably lax for years, as legislation to introduce official control was tabled during the dissolution of the National Assembly in 2007. But this modern, urban, and bustling region is getting ready to embrace the benefits –as well as the setbacks– of regulation for the mental health industry.

One of the key concerns serving as an impetus for the introduction of regulation in the area has been the fact that anyone, regardless of background or qualification, is able to market themselves to potential clients as a “psychotherapist.” With many untrained individuals passing off their amateur, or agenda-driven work as professional psychotherapy, local therapists have noted that clients have often found it difficult to navigate the sea of advertisements and assurances. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Orlando Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

To the casual observer, it can seem like just about everything has its own dedicated “national time slot” these days, beckoning Americans to celebrate everything from frozen foods to pirate-speak and back again. But while plenty of modern awareness-centered holidays are indeed whimsical, a few speak to more serious issues, and National Mental Health Counseling Week is certainly among them. Taking place from the fifth through the twelfth, the special week has been created to help bolster the role of counseling in America’s communities and to work towards washing away the stigmas still attached to mental health care in many areas.

An informal affair that’s not likely to find a special section in the greeting cards department, the week-long holiday is nevertheless an important calendar highlight for professionals around the country, as well as those touched by their work. Many areas are celebrating in ways that reflect local interactions with psychotherapy and counseling. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Santa Rosa Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

As medical science progresses into the twenty-first century and new, incredible breakthroughs abound, it can be tempting to suppose that our biology as humans is a reigning force in our lives. And in many ways, it is. Within the realm of genetics, we are finding that some people are, in a sense, “pre-determined” for developing various ailments, and mental health issues are no exception. Yet it is not necessarily the case that we are powerless over our health in areas where genetics have a role to play. Quite the contrary, as evidenced by a new study focusing on high-risk individuals for depression and anxiety disorders, as well as alcohol and substance abuse.

The study responsible for this victory, headed by John Capitanio, Ph.D., appears in the May issue of Biological Psychiatry and sheds new light on the nature versus nurture debate, reminding us that the truth may again rest somewhere between these two poles. Capitanio and his team worked with a population of monkeys, first identifying which infants among them were genetically “tagged” for anxious or depressive behaviors. Studying the monkeys within a set of four different upbringing environments, including large and small social groups and dynamics that encompassed nurturing and neglectful or abusive patterns, the researchers put this genetic predisposition to the test. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Lafayette Bureau - All Rights Reserved.